Saturday, 11:00 AM – The Park
The morning sun filtered through the trees in the park, as if nature had been specifically designed for this occasion. I had been planning this for days. The basket, the blanket, the food—every detail had to be perfect.
Alex arrived walking along the path in her red dress, the same one she had chosen with Gloria back then. Her hair was loose, her glasses were on, and she wore a smile that barely curved her lips but reached her eyes.
"Is this for us?" Alex asked, pointing to the blanket spread on the grass.
"This is for us," I replied.
"Non-alcoholic sangria, tea sandwiches, fruit cut into star shapes. And that?" she asked, pointing to a small box.
"That's a secret," I replied.
"Secrets aren't allowed on the first picnic date," Alex said.
"It's our third picnic date. The first was in your yard. The second was in my yard. This is the third," I replied.
"You're keeping count," Alex said with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm keeping count," I admitted.
"That's very cheesy," Alex said.
"I know," I replied.
"It's okay to be cheesy sometimes," Alex said, sitting down on the blanket.
The Bush
Claire crouched behind a bush. Branches scratched her face. Leaves got into her neck. But she didn't care. She had a mission.
"Do you see them?" Gloria asked, also crouched beside her.
"I see them. They're on the blanket. They're... talking," Claire said.
"About what?" Gloria asked.
"I don't know. I'm too far away," Claire said.
"Didn't you bring binoculars?" Gloria asked.
"Who brings binoculars to a picnic?" Claire replied.
"A mother spying on her daughter," Gloria replied.
Cameron appeared behind them with a video camera in his hand.
"Are you recording?" Claire asked.
"I'm recording for the memory. For the wedding video," Cameron said.
"You're already thinking about the wedding?" Gloria asked.
"You have to plan ahead. Weddings don't organize themselves," Cameron replied.
"They're not getting married yet. They're thirteen and fifteen," Claire said.
"Love doesn't wait for age. Love arrives when it arrives," Cameron said.
"That's very romantic," Gloria said.
"That's very cheesy," Claire said.
"Both things," Cameron said.
Haley appeared, walking without trying to hide, a coffee in her hand and an expression of boredom.
"What are you doing?" Haley asked.
"Get down!" Claire shouted.
"Why?" Haley asked.
"Because they'll see us!" Claire shouted.
"So what?" Haley asked.
"So what? Because it's a private moment!" Claire shouted.
"Then why are you spying on it?" Haley asked.
"Because we're her family. We have the right to spy," Gloria said.
"That doesn't make sense," Haley said.
"Love doesn't make sense. That's why we spy on it," Gloria replied.
Haley crouched down next to them.
"And what are they doing?" Haley asked.
"They're eating fruit cut into star shapes," Cameron said, looking through the camera.
"Star-shaped fruit?" Haley asked.
"Watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi. All cut with a star-shaped mold," Cameron said.
"That's ridiculous," Haley said.
"It's romantic," Gloria said.
"It's both," Cameron said.
With Alex and Leo
"Should we open the box?" Alex asked, pointing to the mystery box.
"Not yet," I replied.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not time yet."
"When is the time?"
"When you finish the star-shaped fruit."
Alex took a piece of star-shaped watermelon. She bit into it.
"I'm done," she said.
"That was one. There are twenty," I replied.
"You're going to give me indigestion," Alex said.
"That's not in my plans," I replied.
"What are your plans?" Alex asked.
"For you to have a good time. To laugh. To forget about thermodynamics for a few hours," I replied.
"Thermodynamics is never forgotten. It's in everything. In the fruit, the sun, the breathing," Alex said.
"That's very scientific," I said. "I like it."
"I know that too," Alex said.
With the Spies
"They're laughing," Cameron said.
"About what?" Claire asked.
"I don't know. I'm too far away. But they're laughing," Cameron said.
"That's good. Couples who laugh together last longer," Gloria said.
"Where did you read that?" Claire asked.
"Nowhere. I made it up. But it sounds true," Gloria replied.
"And now what are they doing?" Haley asked.
"They're... looking at the sky," Cameron said.
"Looking at the sky?" Haley asked.
"Looking at the clouds. Pointing at shapes. Talking about what they look like," Cameron said.
"That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," Haley said.
"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard," Gloria said.
"That's both," Cameron said.
"Why does everything have to be both with you?" Claire asked.
"Because life is both. Happy and sad. Beautiful and ugly. Romantic and cheesy," Cameron replied.
"That's very deep," Gloria said.
"That's very Cameron," Claire said.
"Both," Haley said.
Everyone looked at her.
"What?" Haley asked.
"Nothing. We're making progress," Claire said with a smile.
With Alex and Leo
"Now?" Alex asked, pointing to the box.
"Now," I replied.
I opened the box. Inside was a notebook. Not just any notebook. A leather-bound notebook, with the initials A.D. engraved on the cover.
"What is it?" Alex asked.
"Open it," I replied.
Alex opened the notebook. The first page was blank. The second too. The third too.
"It's empty?" Alex asked with confusion.
"It's empty. So you can fill it. With your poems, your equations, your drawings. Whatever you want," I replied.
"And why are you giving it to me?" Alex asked.
"Because the one you have is almost full. I saw it. Last week, when you were writing on the porch. You had three pages left," I replied.
Alex looked at me.
"You counted the pages?" Alex asked.
"I counted the pages," I admitted.
"That's..." Alex started.
"Cheesy. I know," I interrupted.
"I was going to say obsessive," Alex said.
"That too," I admitted.
Alex opened the notebook to the first page. She took a marker from her dress pocket, wrote something, and closed the notebook.
"What did you write?" I asked.
"A one-line poem," Alex replied.
"Are you going to read it to me?" I asked.
"When you're old and gray. And can't read without glasses," Alex replied.
"That's a long time from now," I said.
"That's how long love lasts. A long time," Alex said.
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Leo cut fruit into star shapes. Alex ate twenty of them.
What's cheesier? The star-shaped fruit or the leather notebook? 🍉📓💕
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